DOG owners have been calling County Hall in large numbers asking for footpaths which were closed as a result of the foot and mouth crisis to be reopened

And as summer approaches, a growing number of calls are being made by anxious people trying to organise summer fetes and other events, who are afraid the site they need will be out of bounds.

Buckinghamshire County Council closed all its paths at the beginning of the foot and mouth outbreak and stayed resolute when the Government started calling on local authorities to open them.

Council council deputy leader Bill Chapple said the county was disease free and he intended it to stay that way, though later he agreed that some paths might open when there was shown to be minimal risk.

By this week there had been more than 300 calls - about half from dog owners - and paths are gradually reopening.

A team of five, headed by footpaths officer Mike Walker, is looking at each request, weighing up the risk involved and reopening where it is reasonable.

But it's a lengthy business, says David Pickering, a senior trading standards officer for the council.

He said the countryside team had to visit many of the paths involved and talk to farmers. A path across arable land might look to be safe to reopen but if it led to a field with livestock, it was sensible to keep it closed.

"This is about minimising the risk," he said.

Where paths are open, a copy of the country code reminds people to keep their dogs on leads and to keep away from livestock.

Details about reopened paths are on the county council's website, www.buckscc.gov.uk in the section on foot and mouth

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